Bromsgrove Sporting 7
Redditch United 1
Southern League Premier Central
Report by Ben Tyler/Max Banner
BRENDAN Kelly declared Bromsgrove Sporting “the pride of Worcestershire” after a crushing derby win over local rivals Redditch United on Tuesday night.
Braces for Richard Gregory, Will Shorrock and solo goals from Greg Mills, Mike Taylor and Shaquille McDonald wrapped up a comfortable win in the first competitive meeting between the two sides since Bromsgrove’s rebirth.
While a big victory was always on the cards due to the downturn in fortunes for visitors Redditch this season, Kelly was quick to point out the symbolism of a victory against one of the mainstays of Step Three football.
“It’s a great result for us and the fans, considering the local rivalry,” he said.
“To score seven goals and earn the local bragging rights is a result of their efforts this season.
“I guess you could say we’re now the pride of Worcestershire. They’re a well-established club at this level, so it’s a great feat for us.”
It took just two minutes for the deadlock to be broken at the Victoria Ground when Gregory’s long ball found Shorrock, who proceeded to repeatedly torment a Redditch defender before firing low, and with the help of a divot in the pitch, beat Kieran Boucher.
Boucher recovered to deny Gregory and Taylor with smart stops inside the opening 20 minutes, before keeping out Greg Mills’ attempt with his feet.
The scoreline remained the same despite the one-way flow of traffic towards United’s goal, as Taylor’s shot from just inside the box rolled narrowly wide of the far corner.
With five minutes remaining, Sporting eventually doubled their lead when Mills was brought down inside the area, allowing Gregory to slam into the bottom corner.
A third followed soon after, Gregory setting up Mills for an emphatic blast into the roof of the the net via a deflection, putting the Rouslers in full control of the tie.
Redditch enjoyed a period of pressure after the restart and pulled a goal back as a result of their positive play.
Former Sporting man Tom Rankin swung a corner kick into a crowd of Redditch players as the ball was bundled in by Josh Endall.
Bromsgrove hit back in style though, relentlessly bombarding the visitors’ goal to strike four times before the game was out.
A panenka penalty by Gregory rolled out of reach of the grounded Boucher in the 62nd minute, before Taylor finally got on the scoresheet with a delicate finish into the net two minutes later.
Substitute McDonald added to the drubbing with a fine drive into the bottom-left corner eight minutes from time, followed by a dinked finish by Shorrock in the 86th minute to complete the rout.
Kings Langley 3
Bromsgrove Sporting 1
Southern League Premier Central
Report by Max Banner
AN UNBEATEN run spanning over two months came to an end after defeat in Hertfordshire on Saturday afternoon.
Harrison Crawford was a man possessed for the hosts, hitting a hat-trick and getting the scoring underway at The Orbital Fasteners Stadium with a ninth-minute wonder from 20 yards.
A substitution was required just 15 minutes in after striker Mike Taylor suffered an eye injury, although his replacement Richard Gregory more than made amends for the striker’s absence by restoring parity.
He made sure he was in the right place at the right time to get on the end of an exquisite cross from Greg Mills, volleying home via a deflection just before the half-hour mark.
The provider then had two chances to get on the scoresheet himself before the break, but saw both his swipes at the ball blocked, while Daniel Platt had to stand tall to keep out Mitchell Weiss in first-half stoppage time.
It was that man Mills again who was at the forefront, firing a free-kick narrowly wide in the early exchanges of the second half.
Crawford restored the hosts’ lead after directing Jorell Johnson’s free-kick delivery into the net for his second of the game on 51 minutes, with matters made worse for Sporting after injuries to Leon Broadhurst and Jack Wilson shortly after.
Jordan Parkes threatened to extend Kings Langley’s lead with a ferocious blast goalwards, only to be denied by the resolute Platt.
Bromsgrove felt hard done by not to have been awarded a penalty when Mills was hauled down in the area – the midfielder leading the protests albeit to no avail.
To rub further salt into the wound, a third for Kings Langley and Crawford followed in the 74th minute, the forward dispatching a left-footed strike into the net to put the hosts in the driving seat to comfortably see out the game.
